Overview
- Drinking about 9 g of alcohol daily—roughly one standard drink—was linked to an approximately 50% higher risk of buccal mucosa cancer.
- Concurrent use of alcohol and chewing tobacco was associated with more than a fourfold increase in risk and an estimated 62% of cases.
- Locally brewed liquors showed the strongest association, with risk increases up to about 87% compared with 72% for internationally recognized drinks.
- The BMJ Global Health study compared 1,803 cases with 1,903 controls across five Indian centers recruited from 2010 to 2021.
- Authors report no safe threshold for this cancer type and urge prevention focused on reducing alcohol and smokeless-tobacco use, highlighting concerns over unregulated local brews.